Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Tuesday, April 9, 2013 Take Action to Help Save Wadi Foquin Dear Romi, I am writing you today to ask for your help to save a small Palestinian village called Wadi Foquin. In the photo above, Yusef Manasra, an elder in this West Bank Palestinian village, overlooks the historic dwelling place of his family. Directly across the village on the southwest hillside is the settlement of Betar Illiit. The illegal Israeli settlement now boasts a population of more than 40,000and is built mostly on land stolen from Wadi Foquin and surrounding villages.
In addition to continued land confiscation for the expansion of the settlement, raw sewageand limestone runoff from settlement construction has badly damaged the rich agricultural produce and natural water springs in the village, threatening to make the village uninhabitable. The Israeli government has already taken 94% of the village's land, and residents continue to receive more land confiscation orders for the construction of the apartheid wall on the northwest side of the village. The planned route of the wall will cross the green line and take even more land from the village. In additionflying checkpoints restrict freedom of movement in and out of the villageand make it very difficult for the residents to travel for work or school or to visit family. The Friends of Wadi Foquinis a partnership formed with the village in August 2009, and we have been invited by the Lantos Human Rights Commission (LHRC) staff to submit a proposal to schedule a briefing on the human rights abuses in Wadi Foquin. Your Member of Congress can influence what issues appear before the LHRC,and they need to hear from you about the intolerable situation for the villagers in Wadi Foquin. Romi, please email your Member of Congress and call the Co-Chairs of the Lantos Human Rights Commission and urge them to schedule a briefing to address Israel's human rights abuses in Wadi Foquin. The Friends of Wadi Foquin has been supporting programs and activities for community empowerment and survival. But because of the accelerated expansion of the settlement and planned construction of the wall -- and the clear sense that the clock is ticking on the village's future -- we have been asked to raise awareness in our communities regarding the urgency of the situation. Our advocacy campaign calls on the Lantos Human Rights Commission (LHRC) to schedule a public briefing to address the human rights violations taking place in the village, including land rights, water rights, food production, transportation and freedom of movement. The Co-Chairs of the LHRC are Rep. James McGovern (D-MA) and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), and it is important that they hear from people across the country who are concerned about this issue. Please email your Members of Congress and call the Co-Chairs of the Commission and urge them to hold a briefing about the devastating impact of Israeli settlement activity on Palestinians in Wadi Foquin. Sincerely, Rev. Michael Yoshii-Chair, Friends of Wadi Foquin Jean Hart - Advocacy Chair, Friends of Wadi Foquin Kira Azzam - Staff Coordinator, Friends of Wadi Foquin P.S. -- Watch this powerful video about the devastating impact that illegal Israeli settlements are having on Wadi Foquin. Romi, take these actions: 1. Email your Members of Congressand ask them to write the Co-Chairs of the Lantos Human Rights Commission in support of a briefing on Wadi Foquin. 2. Join our call-in week from April 9-12. Please call the Co-Chairs of the Lantos Human Rights Commissionand ask them to hold a briefing about the human rights abuses being committed against residents of Wadi Foquin. 3. Contact Friends of Wadi Foquinto find out about other ways you can help with this campaign. 4. Watch this powerful videoabout the human rights abuses being committed against the residents of Wadi Foquin. Support Palestinian farming families. Shop our fair-trade store: Follow Us: Facebook Twitter YouTube Blog Vimeo Back to Top The US Campaign aims to change U.S. policies that sustain Israel's 45-year occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, and that deny equal rights for all. ABOUT| TAKE ACTION | GET INVOLVED | STORE | DONATE | RESOURCES | MEDIA | FORWARD TO A FRIEND US CAMPAIGN TO END THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION | PO BOX 21539 | WASHINGTON, DC 20009 202-332-0994 | [email protected]| WWW.ENDTHEOCCUPATION.ORG [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
